Living in Georgia

Georgia - The Peach State

History, Geography, Homes, and State Resources of Georgia

Georgia USA Map

Georgia was named after King George II of England and is at the center of southern arts and entertainment, it encompasses more than 57,906 sq. miles of beauty.
After you disembark in Georgia, you will discover a vast array of cultural and recreational and outdoor opportunities including fishing, boating, hiking, camping
and much more.

Relocating to Georgia could mean taking up some fresh sports teams. Georgia is known for it's world-class athletics. In addition to being the host of the summer
Olympics in "96", a pair of Super Bowls along with an endless array of Final Four tournaments for basketball, Atlanta is also the home to the Falcons, Braves,
Hawks and Silverbacks. No matter your sport, a game is always available to watch.

Hernando de Soto, the Spanish explorer, first traveled parts of Georgia in 1540. British claims later conflicted with those of Spain. After obtaining a royal charter,
Gen. James Oglethorpe established the first permanent settlement in Georgia in 1733 as a refuge for English debtors. In 1742, Oglethorpe defeated Spanish invaders in the
Battle of Bloody Marsh.

A Confederate stronghold, Georgia was the scene of extensive military action during the Civil War. Union general William T. Sherman burned Atlanta and destroyed a
60-mile-wide path to the coast, where he captured Savannah in 1864.

Climate

The Georgia climate is a humid and subtropical with most of the state having short, mild winters and long, hot summers. The Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of Georgia and the hill country in the north impact the state's climate. ... Summer daytime temperatures in Georgia often exceed 95 °F.

Demography

Education

Georgia Colleges.
The University System of Georgia is the presiding body over public education in the state. The System includes 29 institutions of higher learning. The System is governed
by the Georgia Board of Regents. Georgia’s workforce of more than 6.3 million is constantly refreshed by the growing number of people who move here along with the 90,000
graduates from the universities, colleges and technical colleges across the state, including the nationally-ranked University of Georgia, Georgia Institute of
Technology and Emory University

Economy

Over the past five years, Georgia has been ranked the top state (number 1) in the
U.S. to do business, and has been recognized as number 1 for business and labor climate in the
U.S., number 1 in business climate in the nation, number 1 in the nation in workforce training and as having a “Best in Class” state economic development agency.

Flora and Fauna

Georgia State Flower - Cherokee Rose

Georgia State Tree (Southern Live Oak)

There are approximately 250 species of trees in the state, 90% of which are of commercially important. White and scrub pines, chestnut, northern red oak, and buckeye cover the mountain zone, while loblolly and shortleaf (yellow) pines and whiteback maple are found throughout the piedmont.
There are dense groves of Pecan trees in southern Georgia, and white oak and cypress are
abundant in eastern Georgia. Trees found throughout the state include red cedar, scaly-bark and white hickories, red maple, sycamore, yellow poplar, sassafras, sweet and black gums, and various dogwoods and magnolias. Common flowering shrubs include yellow jasmine, flowering quince, and mountain laurel.

Spanish moss grows abundantly on the coast and around the streams and swamps of the entire coastal plain. Kudzu vines, originally from Asia, are ubiquitous.

The state has 58 protected plants, of which 23—including hairty rattleweed, Alabama leather flower, smooth coneflower, two species of quillwort, pondberry, Canby's dropwort, harperella, fringed campion, and two specied of trillium—are endangered.

Prominent among Georgia fauna is the white-tailed (Virginia) deer, found in some 50 counties. Other common mammals are the black bear, muskrat, raccoon opossum, mink, common cottontail, and three species of squirrel—fox, gray, and flying.

No less than 160 birds species breed in Georgia, among them the mockingbird, brown thrasher (the state bird), and numerous sparrows; the Okefenokee Swamp is home to the sandhill piper, snowy egret, and white ibis. The bobwhite quail is the most popular game bird.

79 species of reptile, including such poisonous snakes as the rattler, copperhead, and cottonmouth moccasin
call Georgia their home. The state's 63 amphibian species consist mainly of various salamanders, frogs, and toads.

The most popular freshwater game fish are trout, bream, bass, and catfish, all but the last of which are produced in state hatcheries for restocking. Dolphins, porpoises, shrimp, oysters, and blue crabs are found off the Georgia coast.

Government

Georgia State Capitol

The Georgia State Capitol is an architecturally and historically significant building in Atlanta, It has been named a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the primary office building of Georgia's government housing the offices of the governor, lieutenant governor, and secretary of state on the second floor, and on the third floor, chambers in which the General Assembly, that consists of the Georgia State Senate and Georgia House of Representatives

Elected executives include the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state school superintendent, commissioner of agriculture, commissioner of labor, and five public service commissioners. Each serves a four-year term. The governor is limited to a maximum of two consecutive terms. To be eligible for office, the governor and lieutenant governor, who are elected separately, must be at least 30 years old and have been US citizens for 15 years and Georgia citizens for six years preceding the election.

To be eligible to vote in state elections, a person must be at least 18 years old, a US citizen, and a resident in the county of registration. Restrictions apply to convicted felons and those declared mentally incompetent by the court.

Attractions

Georgia is a state of many contrasts, which makes it an especially appealing place to go. The attractions that bring
visitirs to Georgia range from its mountain landscapes and natural features like the Okefenokee Swamp to the romantic antebellum squares of Savannah and the dazzling modern architecture of Atlanta. There are
plenty of things to do in Georgia for the whole family, and for every interest. You'll find everything from the world's largest aquarium and the beaches of Jekyll Island to gracious antebellum homes and historic sites that illuminate life and events from prehistory to the late 20th-century struggle for civil rights.

St. Simmons Island Lighthouse

Lighthouses in Gergia
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List of all lighthouses in the state of Georgia as identified by the United States Coast Guard. There are three active lights in the state including one maintained as a private aid; four are standing but inactive, and one has been replaced by an automated skeleton tower, and one destroyed by a ship collision. One tower, the second Sapelo Island Light, was moved to Michigan; the first tower on the site is still standing and was relit in 1998.

An amusement park located in Rossville, Georgia, just south of Chattanooga,
Tennessee. The park is named after the Native American word Winnepesaukah, meaning "bountiful waters" or "beautiful lake of the highlands".
The Boat Chute attraction, designed by Carl Dixon and opened in 1927, is the oldest mill chute water ride of its kind still in operation in the
nation.
In its early years, the park's primary focus was on its water attractions. Later, the park began expanding its dry amusement ride offerings with the introduction of its historic carousel and well-known Cannon Ball roller coaster. Lake Winnie has grown to over 80 acres, featuring 38 rides and a
five acre water park with seven attractions.

Six Flags Over Georgia, like most amusement parks, prides itself on its roller coaster collection. Goliath and Mind Bender routinely rank among the top steel roller coasters listed by Amusement Today magazine in its Golden Ticket Awards. The collection
was expanded in 2011 with the addition of Dare Devil Dive, a Euro-Fighter roller coaster from German designer Gerstlauer.
Aside from the roller coasters, Six Flags Over Georgia maintains a large number of other rides and attractions. Two attractions of note are Acrophobia, installed in 2001 as the world's first "floorless" freefall tower ride, and the Riverview Carousel.

A zoological theme park 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Valdosta, Georgia, located
just off Interstate 75. It is owned by Herschend Family Entertainment. The park
features rides and attractions, including eight roller coasters, exotic animals,
shows, Splash Island water park and concerts from country, pop, rock, Christian,
and oldies superstars.

National Parks

The American Legacy of the Cherokee Trail of Tears Image by Paul Andrews

The Appalachian Trail is a 2,180+ mile long public footpath that traverses the scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. Conceived in 1921, built by private citizens, and completed in 1937, today the trail is managed by the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, numerous state agencies and thousands of volunteers.

For millions of years, granite monadnocks have stood watch over the rivers and forests of Georgia. These breathtaking landscapes are the cornerstones of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, which serves to protect & promote these outcrops and the surrounding region as a recreational wonder and national treasure.

The Augusta Canal helped usher the Industrial Revolution into the American South. Built in 1845 as a source of power, water, and transportation, the canal today is the only fully intact American industrial canal in continuous operation. By 1847 the first mills opened, followed by the massive Civil War era Confederate Powder Works and many more industries in the later decades of the 19th century.

Today the river valley attracts us for so many reasons. Take a solitary walk to enjoy nature’s display, raft leisurely through the rocky shoals with friends, fish the misty waters as the sun comes up, or have a picnic on a Sunday afternoon. Get Outdoors and experience your Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area as you have never done before.

In 1863, Union and Confederate forces fought for control of Chattanooga, known as the "Gateway to the Deep South." The Confederates were victorious at nearby Chickamauga in September. However, renewed fighting in Chattanooga that November provided Union troops victory and control of the city. After the fighting, a Confederate soldier ominously wrote, "This...is the death-knell of the Confederacy."

St Marys is the gateway to Cumberland Island, Georgia's largest and southernmost barrier island. Here pristine maritime forests, undeveloped beaches and wide marshes whisper the stories of both man and nature. Natives, missionaries, enslaved African Americans and Wealthy Industrialists all walked here. Cumberland Island is also home to over 9,800 acres of Congressionally designated Wilderness.

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is a 2,965 acre National Battlefield that preserves a Civil War battleground of the Atlanta Campaign. Opposing forces maneuvered and fought here from June 19, 1864 until July 2, 1864. Although most famous as a Civil War battlefield, Kennesaw Mountain has a much richer story.

A young boy grows up in a time of segregation…A dreamer is moved by destiny into leadership of the modern civil rights movement…This was Martin Luther King, Jr. Come hear his story, visit the home of his birth, and where he played as a child. Walk in his footsteps, and hear his voice in the church where he moved hearts and minds. Marvel at how he was an instrument for social change.

Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest

National Forests

Featuring 430 miles of trails, this forest contains the southern terminous of the Appalachian Trail. Georgia's highest point, Brasstown Bald at 4,784 feet is inside the forest
Several Civil War battles were fought in the area.

Sports

Sports in Georgia include professional teams in nearly all major sports, Olympic Games contenders and medalists, collegiate teams in major and small-school conferences
and associations, and active amateur teams and individual sports. The state of Georgia has teams in four major professional leagues — the Atlanta Braves of Major League
Baseball, the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League, the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association, and Atlanta United FC of Major League Soccer.

Taxes

Transportation

Aviation

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Concourse E and Control Tower at night

Georgia Airports Tree.
There are 109 public airports in Georgia. The airports in Georgia are supported in their functioning by the state. Many of the airports in Georgia have been converted from air bases and military bases into publicly available airports and thus also have a connection to the national history of the USA.

The Peach State of Georgia receives many visitors every year. Airports in Georgia are making an important contribution to the economic growth of the state and creating jobs for many thousands of people. There are two major international airports in Georgia, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Savannah / Hilton Head International Airport.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport operates nearly 80 airlines and is the state's busiest airport. The Savannah / Hilton International Airport has 1,700,000 passengers annually. Both airports have world-class facilities and state-of-the-art technology and innovations in the field of flying. Both airports are handicapped accessible and close to business centers to make traveling easier for tourists and business travelers. The main airlines operating from these airports in Georgia are AA, Delta, AirTran, United States Airways, United Express, Continental Express, British Airways and Canadian, to name but a few. The tickets of these airlines can be purchased online from their respective websites.

Ports

Port of Savannah

The Georgia Ports Authority manages two deepwater seaports, at Savannah and Brunswick, and two river ports, at Bainbridge and Columbus. The Port of Savannah is a major U.S. seaport on the Atlantic coast.

Rail and Bus

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is the principal rapid transit system in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Formed in 1971 as strictly a bus system, MARTA operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system consisting of 48 miles of rail track with 38 train stations. MARTA operates almost exclusively in Fulton and DeKalb counties, with bus service to two destinations in Cobb county and the Cumberland Transfer Center next to the Cumberland Mall, and a single rail station in Clayton County at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. MARTA also operates a separate paratransit
service for disabled customers.

Roads

Because
two of the nation's seven most important north-south transcontinental interstate highways pass through the state:
I-95 passes through Georgia's coastal area, linking Miami, Florida, with Houlton, Maine. On it motorists can travel 1,919 miles through sixteen states, including the metropolitan areas of Boston, New York City, Washington, and Richmond, Virginia. Completing the highway's entire length cost an estimated $8 billion.
I-75 crosses Georgia from its northwest corner to its far southern border with Florida, linking Miami with Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Motorists can travel a total of 1,786 miles on I-75, through Detroit, Cincinnati, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. Completing the highway's entire length cost an estimated $5

Georgia Housing

The median home value in Georgia is $179,200. Georgia home values have gone up 9.9% over the past year and predictions
are they will rise 7.7% within the next year. The median list price per square foot in Georgia is $116. The median price of homes currently listed in Georgia is $250,000 while the median price of homes that sold is $179,400. The median rent price in Georgia is $1,350.

Georgia Cities & Towns

Georgia has of 159 counties and there are 535 incorporated municipalities made
up of of cities, towns, consolidated city-counties, and consolidated cities
The largest municipality by population is Atlanta, with 420,003 residents, and the smallest municipality by population is Edge Hill, with
only 24 residents. The largest municipality by land area is Augusta, a consolidated city-county, which spans 302.47 square miles,
while Edge Hill and Santa Claus are tied for the smallest, with each having 0.18 square miles.